Patentable/Patents/US-11451080
US-11451080

Universal charging device and universal charging method thereof

PublishedSeptember 20, 2022
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

A universal charging device and a universal charging method thereof is disclosed. An AC voltage is converted into a DC charging voltage. At least two first charging processes are sequentially performed. In each first charging process, the DC charging voltage is adjusted to be larger than the terminal voltage of a battery based on the terminal voltage and the DC charging voltage charges the battery. The DC charging voltage generates a DC charging current and a pulse current to flow through the battery until the terminal voltage is equal to the DC charging voltage. A voltage across the battery established by the pulse current satisfies a charged condition. When the terminal voltage is equal to the DC charging voltage, the DC charging current is converted into a decreasing trickle current until the value of the trickle current is decreased to a triggered current value.

Patent Claims
33 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

2

2. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pulse current has a pulse period, an initial time point, and a final time point, the at least one pulse current establishes a first open-circuit voltage across the at least one battery at the initial time point, the at least one pulse current establishes a second open-circuit voltage across the at least one battery at the final time point, and the charged condition defines that an absolute value of a difference between the first open-circuit voltage and the second open-circuit voltage divided by the pulse period is equal to or less than a given positive value.

3

3. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein the DC charging current establishes a first battery voltage across the at least one battery, the at least one pulse current establishes a second battery voltage across the at least one battery, and the charged condition defines that an absolute value of a difference between the first battery voltage and the second battery voltage divided by an absolute value of a difference between the DC charging current and the at least one pulse current is equal to or less than a given positive value.

4

4. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein after the charger and the power control detector perform the at least two first charging processes, the charger and the power control detector perform a second charging process, and wherein in the second charging process, the power control detector detects the terminal voltage, controls the charger to adjust the DC charging voltage to be larger than the terminal voltage based on the terminal voltage, and controls the charger to generate the at least one pulse voltage in response to the DC charging voltage, the charger cooperates with the DC charging voltage to charge the at least one battery, respectively generates the DC charging current and the at least one pulse current based on the DC charging voltage and the at least one pulse voltage, and transmits the DC charging current and the at least one pulse current to the power control detector through the at least one battery, the at least one pulse current establishes a second detected voltage across the at least one battery, and when the power control detector determines the second detected voltage satisfies a full condition, the power control detector controls the charger to stop generating the DC charging voltage, the at least one pulse voltage, the DC charging current, and the at least one pulse current.

5

5. The universal charging device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one pulse current has a pulse period, an initial time point, and a final time point, the at least one pulse current establishes a first open-circuit voltage across the at least one battery at the initial time point, the at least one pulse current establishes a second open-circuit voltage across the at least one battery at the final time point, and the full condition defines that an absolute value of a difference between the first open-circuit voltage and the second open-circuit voltage divided by the pulse period is larger than a given positive value.

6

6. The universal charging device according to claim 4, wherein the DC charging current establishes a first battery voltage across the at least one battery, the at least one pulse current establishes a second battery voltage across the at least one battery, and the full condition defines that an absolute value of a difference between the first battery voltage and the second battery voltage divided by an absolute value of a difference between the DC charging current and the at least one pulse current is larger than a given positive value.

7

7. The universal charging device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one pulse current comprises a plurality of pulse currents, and when the power control detector determines that the second detected voltage established by each of the plurality of pulse currents satisfies the full condition, the power control detector controls the charger to stop generating the DC charging voltage.

8

8. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein in each of the at least two first charging processes, a period that the terminal voltage is equal to the DC charging voltage is less than a period that the DC charging voltage is larger than the terminal voltage.

9

9. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two first charging processes comprise a previous first charging process and a next first charging process, and periods corresponding to the DC charging current and the trickle current in the previous first charging process are respectively larger than periods corresponding to the DC charging current and the trickle current in the next first charging process.

10

10. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein a pulse period of the at least one pulse current is less than a period of a corresponding the DC charging current.

11

11. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein the charger controls the DC charging voltage to be larger than the terminal voltage, a difference between the DC charging voltage and a corresponding the terminal voltage is a given value, and the given values corresponding to the at least two first charging processes are equal.

12

12. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two first charging processes comprise a previous first charging process and a next first charging process, when the charger adjusts the DC charging voltage to be larger than the terminal voltage, a difference between the DC charging voltage and a corresponding the terminal voltage is a given value, and the given value corresponding to the previous first charging process is larger than the given value corresponding to the next first charging process.

13

13. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two first charging processes comprise a previous first charging process and a next first charging process, and periods corresponding to the DC charging current and the trickle current in the previous first charging process are respectively less than periods corresponding to the DC charging current and the trickle current in the next first charging process.

16

16. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein the fixed ratio is 90% or 85%.

17

17. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein an initial value of the terminal voltage divided by the rated voltage is less than or equal to 97%.

18

18. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one battery is a lithium-ion battery.

19

19. The universal charging device according to claim 18, wherein the lithium-ion battery is a nickel-cobalt-lithium battery, a nickel-lithium battery, or a LiFePO4 battery.

20

20. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein the rated voltage has a range of 9-72 volts.

21

21. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one battery comprises 10-20 batteries connected in series.

22

22. The universal charging device according to claim 1, wherein before the charger and the power control detector sequentially perform the at least two first charging processes, the power control detector detects the terminal voltage and drives the charger to provide an initial voltage for the at least one battery and generate an initial current, the initial current flows through the at least one battery, and the power control detector is configured to receive the initial current and determine that the at least one battery is the battery to be charged according to the initial current, the terminal voltage, and a charging voltage range.

24

24. The universal charging method according to claim 23, wherein the at least one pulse current has a pulse period, an initial time point, and a final time point, the at least one pulse current establishes a first open-circuit voltage across the at least one battery at the initial time point, the at least one pulse current establishes a second open-circuit voltage across the at least one battery at the final time point, and the charged condition defines that an absolute value of a difference between the first open-circuit voltage and the second open-circuit voltage divided by the pulse period is equal to or less than a given positive value.

25

25. The universal charging method according to claim 23, wherein the DC charging current establishes a first battery voltage across the at least one battery, the at least one pulse current establishes a second battery voltage across the at least one battery, and the charged condition defines that an absolute value of a difference between the first battery voltage and the second battery voltage divided by an absolute value of a difference between the DC charging current and the at least one pulse current is equal to or less than a given positive value.

27

27. The universal charging method according to claim 26, wherein the at least one pulse current has a pulse period, an initial time point, and a final time point, the at least one pulse current establishes a first open-circuit voltage across the at least one battery at the initial time point, the at least one pulse current establishes a second open-circuit voltage across the at least one battery at the final time point, and the full condition defines that an absolute value of a difference between the first open-circuit voltage and the second open-circuit voltage divided by the pulse period is larger than a given positive value.

28

28. The universal charging method according to claim 26, wherein the DC charging current establishes a first battery voltage across the at least one battery, the at least one pulse current establishes a second battery voltage across the at least one battery, and the full condition defines that an absolute value of a difference between the first battery voltage and the second battery voltage divided by an absolute value of a difference between the DC charging current and the at least one pulse current is larger than a given positive value.

29

29. The universal charging method according to claim 26, wherein the at least one pulse current comprises a plurality of pulse currents, and when the second detected voltage established by each of the plurality of pulse currents satisfies the full condition, the DC charging voltage stops being generated.

30

30. The universal charging method according to claim 23, wherein in each of the at least two first charging processes, a period that the terminal voltage is equal to the DC charging voltage is less than a period that the DC charging voltage is larger than the terminal voltage.

31

31. The universal charging method according to claim 23, wherein the at least two first charging processes comprise a previous first charging process and a next first charging process, and periods corresponding to the DC charging current and the trickle current in the previous first charging process are respectively larger than periods corresponding to the DC charging current and the trickle current in the next first charging process.

32

32. The universal charging method according to claim 23, wherein a pulse period of the at least one pulse current is less than a period of a corresponding the DC charging current.

33

33. The universal charging method according to claim 23, wherein in the step of adjusting the DC charging voltage to be larger than the terminal voltage, a difference between the DC charging voltage and a corresponding the terminal voltage is a given value, and the given values corresponding to the at least two first charging processes are equal.

34

34. The universal charging method according to claim 23, wherein the at least two first charging processes comprise a previous first charging process and a next first charging process, in the step of adjusting the DC charging voltage to be larger than the terminal voltage, a difference between the DC charging voltage and a corresponding the terminal voltage is a given value, and the given value corresponding to the previous first charging process is larger than the given value corresponding to the next first charging process.

35

35. The universal charging method according to claim 23, wherein the at least two first charging processes comprise a previous first charging process and a next first charging process, periods of the DC charging current and the trickle current corresponding to the previous first charging process are respectively less than periods of the DC charging current and the trickle current corresponding to the next first charging process.

36

36. The universal charging method according to claim 23, wherein the fixed ratio is 90% or 85%.

37

37. The universal charging method according to claim 23, wherein an initial value of the terminal voltage divided by the rated voltage is less than or equal to 97%.

38

38. The universal charging method according to claim 23, wherein in the step of determining that the at least one battery is the battery to be charged, the terminal voltage is detected, an initial voltage is provided to the at least one battery to generate an initial current that flows through the at least one battery, and the at least one battery is determined as the battery to be charged according to the initial current, the terminal voltage, and a charging voltage range.

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

September 8, 2020

Publication Date

September 20, 2022

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Universal charging device and universal charging method thereof — Kwo-Tong Lin | Patentable